Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI
Challenge Scenario Strategy Guide
Authored by 2006VWGTI / Kong Wen
(19 Feb. 2007 - 05 Mar. 2007)
Compiled 28 March 2007
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Table of Contents:
Description
Challenge #1: Hunting Dong Zhuo
Challenge #2: The Turbans' End
Challenge #3: Liu Bei's Subjugation
Challenge #4: Guan Du Skirmish
Challenge #5: Huang Zu
Challenge #6: Mai Castle Escape
Challenge #7: Nanman Rebellion
Challenge #8: Defense of Jie Ting
Copyright Notice
Each strategy features the win/lose conditions, the strategy, and information
about the character that is unlocked as a reward.
HINT: Find/Search for "Challenge #__" to jump directly to the Challenge guide
you'd like to read.
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Description:
This Challenge Scenario Guide was compiled from strategies that worked for me
and have been known to work for other people. There are BY NO MEANS the only
ways to complete the challenges. The purpose of this guide is to provide the
player who has not yet completed the challenges with a basic set of guidelines
that have been proven to work in at least one instance. If you have been able
to beat the challenges using different strategies, congratulations!
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The Guide:
Challenge #1: Hunting Dong Zhuo
Win: Survive 10 turns (100 days) or capture a bulwark.
Lose: Cao Cao's unit is defeated.
Strategy:
The general strategy for this one is to tuck Cao Cao's unit into a corner and
surround him with the other units so he can't be hurt too badly.
Specifically, move Cao Cao into the little corner directly to the left of his
starting position right off the bat and have him build a Band Platform, leaving
one space to the top and one space to the bottom. The Band Platform will give
you 10 Will every turn, which you'll need for your constant use of Misinform.
The other three units should move into formation protecting Cao Cao and use
Misinform. You may have to leave one of the units at the bottom un-Misinformed
for now, so you can move someone into position and get the platform repaired up
to full. If you leave a space between the unit and Cao Cao's unit, so that a
unit on bottom, the platform, and another unit form a diagonal line, then you
can prevent some archers getting at him, too.
Now, you can't Misinform Jia Xu, so you're probably going to take a volley of
arrows every turn. Remember to use your Zone of Control to your advantage, but
also remember that Lu Bu isn't affected by it. Try to focus on Misinforming the
bow units and Lu Bu. If Cao Cao can reach him, he should Misinform Zhang Liao
(because he's hard to get with the other units), but don't put him in danger. If
Zhang Liao isn't around, just use Cao Cao to Misinform the smartest non-Jia Xu
unit.
Keep Cao Cao behind stuff, remember ZoC, disable as many archers who can
potentially get at Cao Cao around your defences, and you'll be fine for ten
turns.
Reward:
For winning this challenge, you unlock Cui Zhouping, whose profile looks
something like this:
LDR: 12, WAR: 6, INT: 78, POL: 84, CHR: 77
Weaponry, Navy: B
Spear, Pike, Bow, Horse: C
Skill: Pedagogy (Technique research cost halved)
Character: Timid
Zhuge Liang's friend. The son of the late Han senior minister Cui Lie. The
younger brother of Cui Jun. He appeared in the famous story in which Liu Bei
paid three visits to the home of Zhuge Liang. While going to visit Zhuge Liang,
Liu Bei, who had come to Long Zhong for the first time, mistook Cui Zhouping for
Zhuge Liang. When asked by Liu Bei, Cui Zhouping explained his theory on the
correction of disorder, warning Liu Bei that even if he did go to get Zhuge
Liang's help, it was useless to try and fight against the fate of the times. Cui
Zhouping and Xu Shu both recognized Zhuge Liang's brilliance, but Cui Zhouping
pointed out his shortcomings whenever he discovered them. When Zhuge Liang
compared himself to Guan Zhong, the great Qi Prime Minister of the Chun Qiu
period, and Yue Yi, the famous Yan general of the Warring States period, Cui
Zhouping agreed.
Challenge #2: The Turbans' End
Win: Capture Pu Yang within 36 turns (360 days).
Lose: Time runs out or Chen Liu is captured.
Strategy:
The general strategy for this one is to get burn down the enemy camp, set up an
archer tower, and have a few units sitting near the Band Platform keeping the
enemies confused while another unit or two escorts your Rams to the city.
Start by having Bao Xin move forward one space and ignite the camp. Send out a
cavalry unit of Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, and Yu Jin. They'll help burn the camp
when they get down there, and they'll repair the archer tower that Bao Xin
should be working on next. Get the archer tower going before you finish the camp
off—it'll burn on its own, or your next wave of units will finish it off. Don't
attack it; just use fire. Stay near the Band Platform to keep will up.
You should use the people who don't get sent out right away to Recruit troops,
Drill them, and maybe build a market (only if it's going to be fast). On your
next turn, Drill or Outfit (whichever you need) with the guys you want
controlling the Rams (since they won't be going anywhere just yet), and then
send out a few smart units (Cao Cao, Chen Gong, and Cheng Yu, with buff guys to
help beef the units up). Cao Cao can be alone, since his strategies will always
work and he should be able to avoid combat. Sit these smart units near the Band
Platform, but don't be afraid to move them out a space or two if it means
Perturbing another unit. Keep as many units Perturbed as possible. If the Camp
isn't gone by the time the smart units get there, have them burn it too.
Bao Xin and Xiahou Dun should have an archer tower built by now. I put mine
smack in the symmetrical middle of the Embankment formation, three spaces from
the camp and three spaces from the enemy crossbow turret. Avoid that turret if
at all possible, until it can't be avoided. The enemies should be closing in on
you by now. Keep Liu Pi perturbed if you can help it, since his giant tower unit
does big damage.
Your next wave of units will be the two Rams, led by Yue Jin and Li Dian, and
possibly an escort unit. If you can't muster an escort right now, don't worry
about it, since Bao Xin's unit will probably get wiped out and you can redeploy
him with one. Have the Rams hang back around the Band Platform until enough
enemies are confused that they have a path, and then send them through to attack
that crossbow turret.
This is the part where luck comes into play. It would be great to be able to
keep most if not all of the enemy units confused long enough for you to destroy
those turrets and get to the city. Xiahou Dun's unit at least (and hopefully
another, if you can spare it) should head up with the Rams, since Pu Yang will
probably deploy another couple of weak, tattered units at you. Use the escorts
to distract them while the Rams make short work of the city walls.
Reward:
For winning this challenge, you unlock Shi Tao, whose profile looks something
like this:
LDR: 62, WAR: 32, INT: 82, POL: 81, CHR: 78
Spear, Pike, Bow, Horse, Weaponry, Navy: B
Skill: Integrity (Immunity to 'Misinform')
Character: Bold
Zhuge Liang's friend. Appears as "Shi Guangyuan." In the famous story in which
Liu Bei paid three visits to the home of Zhuge Liang, Shi Tao and Meng Gongwei
(Meng Jian) met Liu Bei, who was trying to visit Zhuge Liang at his hermitage
for the second time, when they were out drinking. Shi Tao was friends with Xu
Shu, who was from the same area. When Dong Zhuo was in power and a conflict
broke out in Zhong Yuan, Shi Tao and Xu Shu escaped to the south. Shi Tao and
Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu and Meng Jian studied together in Jing Province, and Zhuge
Liang commented that if these friends had government positions, they would be
governors or prefects. Later, when Jing Province came under Cao Cao's rule, Shi
Tao returned to the north. During Cao Pi's reign, he served Wei, and held the
positions of prefect and agricultural advisor successively. It is said that when
Zhuge Liang heard that Shi Tao did not hold a high government position, he
expressed surprise at what an abundance of talented people Wei must have.
Challenge #3: Liu Bei's Subjugation
Win: Capture Xiao Pei within 18 turns (180 days).
Lose: Time runs out or all allied units are destroyed.
Strategy:
The general strategy for this one is to use Lu Bu and Zhang Liao as distractions
for Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Jian Yong's units while Gao Shun moves his
Ram up the road and towards the city.
Start by sending Lu Bu right up the middle and have him begin work on a Camp.
The increased defence it offers will make him and Zhang Liao better distractions
for a while. Move Zhang Liao to the far left. He can't reach the Camp to repair
it yet, but he will on his next turn. Move Gao Shun as far up the road as you
can.
Liu Bei's force will march out towards the archer tower to the right of your
camp. Leave your Ram where it is until the enemy is distracted, or they'll go
after it. Move Lu Bu and Zhang Liao into tempting positions towards the left
while repairing the camp.
From here on in, all you have to do is keep the enemy occupied by moving Lu Bu
and Zhang Liao into tempting positions and using Perturb. Lu Bu's unit usually
has around a 45% change of Perturbing, while Zhang Liao's should be over 80%.
When the enemies are distracted and confused enough, sneak that Ram up the road,
destroying the archer towers that you pass (or else they'll weaken the Ram) in
one hit. The city should take around four hits. Don't be afraid if one of Liu
Bei's units breaks off and makes for the city. Just keep wailing on those walls
and trying to Perturb with whoever you have left.
Reward:
For winning this challenge, you unlock Meng Jian, whose profile looks something
like this:
LDR: 73, WAR: 31, INT: 80, POL: 86, CHR: 75
Spear, Pike, Bow, Horse, Weaponry, Navy: B
Skill: Indomitable (Immunity to 'Perturb')
Character: Cool
Zhuge Liang's friend. Appears as "Meng Gongwei." He appears in the famous story
in which Liu Bei paid three visits to the home of Zhuge Liang. When Meng Jian
and Shi Tao (Shi Guangyuan) were out drinking, they met Liu Bei, who was trying
to visit Zhuge Liang in Long Zhong for the second time. Meng Jian and Zhuge
Liang, Xu Shu and Shi Tao studied together in Jing Province, and Zhuge Liang
commented that these friends had the potential to be governors or prefects. Meng
Jian served Wei, and after Wen Hui's death, became the governor of Liang
Province and showed considerable political prowess.
Challenge #4: Guan Du Skirmish
Win: Destroy Yan Liang's unit and Wen Chou's unit within 18 turns (180 days).
Lose: Time runs out, Pu Yang is captured, or Guan Yu's unit is destroyed.
Strategy:
The basic strategy for this one is to isolate Yan Liang and Wen Chou for as long
as possible and to defeat them as quickly as possible by confusing them, ganging
up on them, and by using fires and towers to hold off everyone else.
Yan Liang and Wen Chou will make straight for the city, while the other units
tend to concentrate on your facilities, so you can hang back and wait for the
two main generals to isolate themselves.
Move Song Xian behind the Barracks and start building an archer tower beside it
on the grasslands. This will give the enemies something else to destroy, and
also do some extra damage to the big boys when they arrive. Have Guan Yu move
down to repair it. Move every one else straight down except Cao Xiu, who should
park slightly above Xu Huang (within range to repair the tower next turn).
Next turn, have Guan Yu move back a square and build an archer tower just north
of Zhang Liao. Have Zhang Liao repair it. Done! Move Cao Xiu to where Guan Yu
used to be standing and have him repair the first tower. Done! If that doesn't
finish it, use Song Xian to finish it. If it does, move him north and build an
embankment above the Farm just to hold people off. Song Xian will also function
as an embankment soon enough.
By now, the enemies should be arriving. Focus only on Yan Liang and Wen Chou.
Don't worry about repairing anything. Don't worry about Song Xian. Don't move
your guys away from your towers. They'll be defensive structures for you.
First, try to confuse Yan Liang with Guan Yu's Rush tactic. If that works, this
one's in the bag. You can now use the rest of your units to gang up on him with
regulr attacks, Incinerate him with Cao Xiu, and watch the towers pound him
before Wen Chou even arrives.
If Wen Chou arrives too soon—and he probably will—just try to hold him off with
Song Xian and Cao Xiu (if they're still around) until you can finish Yan Liang.
Try to make Guan Yu attack first, because he has spears and can confuse with
Rush. Then use Zhang Liao. Xu Huang has pikes, so he's best used as support or
against already-confused units.
Reward:
For winning this challenge, you unlock Guan Ning, whose profile looks something
like this:
LDR: 46, WAR: 60, INT: 70, POL: 72, CHR: 67
Weaponry: A
Spear, Bow, Navy: B
Pike, Horse: C
Skill: Invention (Weaponry production time halved)
Character: Cool
The eldest son of Guan Ding, who lived on the border of Nei Bei. The older
brother of Guan Ping. Guan Ping trained in the martial arts, and Guan Ning
devoted himself to academic studies. Guan Ning appears in "Guan Yu's Journey."
When Guan Yu went to the border of Nei Bei to see Liu Bei again, Guan Ning, his
father, and his younger brother received Guan Yu at their farm. They also
exchanged greetings with Liu Bei, who had then reunited with Guan Yu. After
that, Guan Ning's younger brother Guan Ping became Guan Yu's adopted son and
joined Liu Bei and the others. Guan Ning stayed behind on the farm.
Challenge #5: Huang Zu
Win: Capture Jiang Xia within 18 turns (180 days).
Lose: Time runs out or all allied forces are destroyed.
Strategy:
The general strategy for this one is to try hope and pray to the Heavens that
you can get a couple of Huang Zu's ships confused by setting off pyre ships,
rush to the shores of Jiang Xia, and Incinerate it fast enough that it is
destroyed before you are.
Move Sun Quan up and plant a pyre ship between Wen Pin and Wang Wei. Move Dong
Xi to the spot a space away from Sun Quan and use Incinerate on the pyre ship.
Wen Pin and Wang Wei will burn, and Wen Pin should be confused. Sun Quan should
be uneffected. Move Cheng Pu as far left as you can (the goal of this is to
avoid clumping your units together, giving you a better shot at rushing the city
while keeping someone around in case you need another distraction for the
ships). Move Lu Meng a space behind Sun Quan and use a regular attack on the
pyre ship.
Wen Pin's confusion should wear off now, and Wang Wei will probably head for
Cheng Pu. For the rest of your rush to the city, you're going to want to have
Sun Quan move as far ahead as he can while still planting pyre ships between as
many enemies as possible. Wu Ju should join the frey. Sun Quan can move up a
space, plant a pyre ship between Wen Pin and Wu Ju; Dong Xi should move as close
to the city as he can get and Incinerate the new pyre ship. If you're lucky,
this will confuse the enem(y/ies) again, and not Sun Quan. If it confuses Wen
Pin, Lu Meng can move above him and attack (doing free damage and getting free
troops to join him thanks to his skill). If it confuses Sun Quan, Lu Meng can
still move up, but use Settle instead. Cheng Pu should be free to make a rush
into the middle of the river, especially if Wang Wei clashed him back a space.
From here on in, it's a mad dash, and you're pretty much on your own, left to
chance. Get as many ships in front of Jiang Xia as you can and start launching
Incinerate on every square of the city you can reach. Keep up the pyre shipping
with Sun Quan as he makes his way to the city until he can get beside the city
and Incinerate it in one move. The others should be there or close by now.
If Liu Pan comes out of Xia Kou with 5000 or 10000 troops, you might want to
have Lu Meng (or someone—anyone!) Perturb him or try to light a pyre ship on
him. If he comes out with 1000, then just ignore him, since he won't do as much
damage. Just keep wailing on that city with Incinerate and hope you last longer
than the walls!
Reward:
For winning this challenge, you unlock Zhang Shiping, whose profile looks
something like this:
LDR: 7, WAR: 15, INT: 58, POL: 66, CHR: 59
Horse: B
Spear, Pike, Bow, Weaponry, Navy: C
Skill: Wealth (Cities' monthly Gold income x1.5)
Character: Bold
A wealthy merchant who dealt in horses. When he and Su Shuang were out trading
horses, they ran into the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang
Fei made an oath in the peach garden to be sworn brothers, and began preparing
arms. When Zhang Shi Ping heard about this, he offered them funds and fifty good
horses. They then used these funds to make the Swords of Fate, Blue Dragon, and
Serpent Blade. Leading 500 soldiers, they went to join an army to subdue the
Yellow Turbans.
Challenge #6: Mai Castle Escape
Win: Guan Yu reaches escape point within 18 turns (180 days).
Lose: Time runs out or Guan Yu's unit is destroyed.
Strategy:
The general strategy for this one is to build no less than three crossbow
turrets around your camp, hide Guan Yu's unit as much as possible, and let the
Wu forces wear down before attempting an escape.
Now, unfortunately, this challenge and the Jie Ting challenge have a lot of
natural variance in specific strategies just because of the nature of what
you're supposed to accomplish, so I'll just hit on some main points. Right off
the bat, your priority should be to get three turrets built around the camp
while keeping Guan Yu out of harm's way. He should be able to help repair one of
the turrets into being while staying behind where the enemy can reach him. I
planted a turret near the bottom of the facilities, another one as close as
possible to that one (a couple spaces to the right) in front of the camp, and
another fairly close to that. This way you can get two or three of the turrets
firing on the same guys, and weakening them up faster.
After the turrets are up, the key is to wait for a suitable opening in the enemy
forces that will allow Guan Yu to sneak out behind the faclities and start the
stage of the challenge I call "the run." Move Guan Yu back onto the bridge
behind the camp and build an embankment facing where the most heat is coming
from. Use your other units to rake or confuse if you can. Have Guan Suo near the
facilities weaking them down to create a path for Guan. Use the other units to
throw up embankments where you need them, mostly to prevent units from getting
too close to Guan Yu.
If Guan Suo is around the facilities and Guan Yu is behind him, eventually Jiang
Qin and his goons are going to try to go around to try to get at Guan through
your well-turretted fortifications. Don't be afraid if the camp is destroyed,
but try to keep the turrets up. They're not going to take out any units yet, but
they are going to keep them distracted, weaken them, and thus cause them to do
less damage to Guan and to your units.
You should be inching Guan Yu up behind the facilities whenever you can, but not
soon enough that enemy units are going to charge around to block you. I managed
to start the run when Lu Meng and his buddy showed up and had made it down
pretty close to the facilities.
Now, on "the run," one thing you're going to want to keep in mind in this
scenario is that pikes and confusion tactics are of utmost importance. Guan Yu
can use Rush and Guan Suo can use Onslaught. Use these tactics to confuse units,
thus disabling their Zone of Control! The pikes' Rake tactic can drag an enemy
back a space, and Guan Suo's Onslaught and Guan Yu's Thrust can do the same. I'd
stay away from using Guan Yu for this purpose unless absolutely necessary,
though, because you want him taking as little damage as you can. Besides, the
point of these tactics is to get units out of the way so Guan Yu can move past
them.
Anyway, when Lu Meng got close, I charged out with Guan Suo and confused him
(Onslaught), thus allowing Guan Yu to get by. I did use Guan Yu to confuse the
other guy. The rest of my units kind of lagged behind, because they were caught
up in ZoC, but my reinforcements where there to help me out. When I got to the
centre of the run, I built two more turrets and a couple of embankments, just to
keep people busy in case they got close to me. Really, as a matter of principle,
while Guan Yu and his reinforcements are moving, they should never really just
"wait." When Guan Yu moves, build something with him or use him to repair a
turret into shape! When the other guys move, have them lay down a turret, repair
it, or drop an embankment. No problem. For the record, none of the original wave
of enemies ever caught up with Guan Yu once I began the run. All I had to
contend with was Lu Meng and his friend, and Lu Xun and his two buddies. It was
no problem to have Guan Suo keep Lu Meng confused while Guan Yu got ahead of
him. At this point, my pikemen were instrumental in dragging people out of Guan
Yu's way. Once he ran past, they were stuck trying to catch up with him, and the
scenario was over.
Your scenario probably won't go exactly the same way, and I know how frustrating
it can be when something I describe here doesn't happen for you. The key is to
prevent as much damage to Guan Yu as you can by hiding him early on and by using
your other units (ZoC), turrets, and embankments to keep them away from him.
Sneak Guan Yu and Guan Suo out from behind the enbankments whenever you can, but
don't rush. You don't want the enemies to see what you're planning and loop back
around to block you. You should have plenty of time. Keep Guan Suo and your
pikes with Guan if you can, and use the other guys as distractions and
annoyances. Don't waste turns when you're moving up the map: if you can build
something, then build it. Finally, use your tactics to change the ZoC on the
run, making it easier for Guan Yu to make his escape.
Reward:
For winning this challenge, you unlock Lu Baishe, whose profile looks something
like this:
LDR: 5, WAR: 1, INT: 31, POL: 39, CHR: 66
Spear, Pike, Bow, Horse, Weaponry, Navy: C
Skill: Wealth (Cities' monthly Gold income x1.5)
Character: Timid
The sworn brother of Cao Song, Cao Cao's father. He gave shelter to Cao Cao and
Chen Gong when they were escaping after a failed assassination attempt on Dong
Zhuo. Wanting to offer hospitality, he told his family to prepare meat for the
guests. Cao Cao and Chen Gong, however, mistakenly thought that the family was
planning to capture them, and they ended up killing the entire family. When they
realized it was a misunderstanding, Chen Gong regretted what they had done, but
Cao Cao declared, "I'd rather betray the world than have the world betray me!"
Once Chen Gong saw how heartless Cao Cao was, he parted ways with him.
Challenge #7: Nanman Rebellion
Win: Destroy Zhuge Liang's unit or survive for 18 turns (180 days).
Lose: Meng Huo's unit is destroyed or Yun Nan is captured.
Strategy:
The general strategy for this one is to build embankments everywhere and then
clutter up the main paths with units and fire.
The enemy can come at you from two different directions, and I've seen them go
both ways, so your best bet is to build embankments on both fronts. Have King
Duosi turn the single embankment he starts beside into a triple embankment in a
straight line by building new ones on either side. Trap him outside of the city.
He'll come in handy as a delay later on. Jinhuan Sanjie and Dong Tu Na can build
Embers somewhere along the path and then just act as nuisances for the rest of
the battle. Get in the enemies' way, Rake them into poison swamps, attack
Juggernauts, but most importantly, light fires along the path to slow the
enemy's advance. You're going to lose these units, but you want to do it at the
last possible moment!
To complete the northern defences, you can have Meng Huo build an embankment
that's two embankments long, right behind where King Duosi started off. Have
Meng Huo save his last embankment; when you get a better idea of which direction
is going to cause you the most problems, you can plant it accordingly. Zhu
Rong's two embankments can be used the same way. In the meantime, sit use Zhu
Rong to drop rocks on the enemies below. Sit Meng Huo beside the castle. You
could use him for rocks too, but the enemies can use fire strategies from three
spaces away, and you don't want him taking unnecessary damage.
Down south, start by having Wu Tugu turn the embankment that's already there
into a nice triangle. Have Meng You repair it to finish it in time. Mulu Duosi
can create three embankments, so he can make a line of two beside the barracks
and plant the other one farther up the pass. These three units will now be used
as distractions, lighting fires all the way up the path and trying to use
Perturb on Guan Suo and other units if they get too close.
By this time there should be fires and embankments everywhere, but you should
also have a couple of emergency embankments left to plant where you need them
when things get ugly. Try to keep fires and embankments between you and the
enemy at all times, and when you run out of will, just dump units in front of
them. Use your Zone of Control. Zhu Rong should be the last line of defence
before you have to go to your last resort and put Meng Huo in the way (which
probably won't happen, but que sera sera—he'll last longer than the city walls).
Reward:
For winning this challenge, you unlock Wang Tao, whose profile looks something
like this:
LDR: 64, WAR: 76, INT: 46, POL: 30, CHR: 67
Bow: A
Spear, Pike, Horse, Navy: C
Weaponry: C
Skill: Bowmanship (Able to use bow tactics in forest)
Character: Reckless
A woman who appears in "The Story of Hua Guan Suo," a tale that has Guan Suo as
its leading character. The daughter of Wang Ling Gong, a thief in Lu Tang Sai.
The elder sister of Wang Yue. Wang Tao lost in battle to Guan Suo, who stopped
by Lu Tang Sai, and she and her younger sister Wang Yue became Guan Suo's wives.
Challenge #8: Defense of Jie Ting
Win: Destroy all enemy units within 18 turns (180 days).
Lose: Time runs out, Tian Shui is captured, or any allied unit is destroyed.
Strategy:
The general strategy for this one is to save Ma Su, build up some crossbow
turrets to do extra damage per turn for you, and bottleneck the enemies at the
walls in front of your camp, using fires and confusion to help you out.
First things first—get Ma Su out of danger! Move him towards your camp and the
rest of your units. They key is to not move him all the way, or Zhang Yue will
be able to get him for over a thousand damage. Stay a space or two behind where
you can actually move, and you should be able to get away with a single hit from
one of the bow units coming from behind.
Move everyone else from Tian Shui as close as you can get them, and move the
units at the camp to the front. There's no real need to spend time destroying
the embankments, but there's no reason to keep them either. If you think you're
going to need the space, then destroy one of them (perhaps the one closest to
where Ma Su is coming from) with your units this turn (since they can't do much
else yet).
On the enemies' turn, Zhang Yue should move in for the kill, and if you've moved
Ma Su correctly, the rest of the units with him (including Sima Yi) should
double back to go around the mountain. Confuse Zhang Yue! If you can get him
confused and negate his Zone of Control, then you should probably be able to run
Ma Su past.
After Ma Su has safely rejoined the rest of your units, the rest of the battle
flows pretty easily. You only have to think about a couple things for the
remainder of the fight. First, build a crossbow turret at the base of the
mountain pass. When the enemies get themselves stuck together on Ma Su's former
escape route, this turret will really speed up their demise. You can also build
another one slightly above it, just off to the side of the mountain pass. Try to
keep Zhang Yue confused as long as possible, and take him out while he can't
hurt you back. Don't waste tactics on confused units—you can use your will in
better ways. Light fires to limit the enemy's movements if you have to. Keep
your turrets repaired. Use your bow units to weaken enemies behind the front
line, or as support to take out front line units more quickly. I didn't build a
band platform, but if you find yourself getting really low on will, you can use
Ma Su to plant one behind the camp somewhere.
Between confusing and getting free attacks on Zhang Yue, roasting Sima Yi, and
filling the rest of the enemies with arrows from your bows and turrets, the
battle should be over fairly quickly. Just remember that you don't need to take
chances. Don't move units onto the mountain pass and out them in danger if you
don't have to. Save before you use Perturb, just in case. If it doesn't work,
then reload and try something else. The key to this battle is doing free damage—
that is, inflicting damage while taking none in return. Attacking perturbed
units, using fires, and letting the crossbow turrets do their work are all ways
in which this can be achieved.
Reward:
For winning this challenge, you unlock Wang Yue, whose profile looks something
like this:
LDR: 63, WAR: 76, INT: 39, POL: 33, CHR: 68
Pike: A
Spear, Crossbow, Horse, Navy: B
Weaponry: C
Skill: Close Combat (Stronger attack in forests)
Character: Reckless
A woman who appears in "The Story of Hua Guan Suo," a tale that has Guan Suo as
its leading character. The daughter of Wang Ling Gong, a thief in Lu Tang Sai.
The younger sister of Wang Tao. Wang Yue lost in battle to Guan Suo, who stopped
by Lu Tang Sai, and she and her older sister Wang Tao became Guan Suo's wives.
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Copyright 2006 by J.C. Cawley (20006VWGTI @ GameFAQs & Kong Wen @ SoSZ/KMA).
This guide is expected to be hosted at GameFAQs, Kongming's Archives, and
the Scholars of Shen Zhou forum.